The Arrow of Vale
by Artfuldemon
Summary: My name is Jaune Arc. For five years I was stranded on an Island with only one goal. Survive. Now I am returning home, not the boy who was shipwrecked, but the man who will bring justice to those poisoning my city.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The cold northern wind bites into my skin as I run through one of the many clusters of trees that dots the island, their branches catching on my skin and what's left of my hood, their leaves tugging at my matted hair.

After five years I know this island. Every tree, every stone, every plant and every cave, I have explored them all, and know them so well that I could traverse the island just as fast in the dead of night, as I am now.

Coming to a ledge that would give even a seasoned athlete pause I don't slow down. Instead, I jump from the top and grab onto the branch of a long dead tree using the momentum to continue onward through the dense brush.

My breath is coming in short ragged gasps. I'm not pacing myself and it's causing me to run short of breath. A rookie mistake, but I can't help myself.

I can see them hovering overhead, just over the bay of the island; a dust plane. Their moving slowly over the island, and I'm not sure if their sightseeing or if they just needed to reduce speed momentarily.

I don't know the reason they're here and I honestly don't care. Their my way off this island. After five long years I finally have a chance. Hope, a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time, blossoms in my chest.

For years now, I have lived alone on this desolate rock that barely qualifies as an island, one thought going through my mind: survive. Survive and one day return home.

And know a way home has finally appeared.

But I'll lose my chance if I don't move fast enough.

Breaking through the tree line, without missing a step, I run straight for an almost perfectly sheer cliff face. Without pausing I begin climbing, headless of the danger of falling, the grip of my bare hands and feet sure and steady and a few moments later I find myself at the top of the cliff.

Continuing along the top, a lethal drop on either side of me, I sprint towards my goal.

Reaching a plateau overlooking the ocean, I uncover a small bundle wrapped in what's left of the life raft I drifted ashore on, the only piece of waterproof material on the Island, as far as I know.

I glance skyward to make sure the dust plane is still overhead. Missing this chance could very well kill me, but if I end up remaining stuck here, than wasting my limited resources would guarantee my death.

I breathe a quick sigh of relief as I spot the dust plane, further along the shore but still within sight.

Unwrapping the bundle in my hands I carefully set my prize on the ground in front of me. Before me lies the key to my rescue, although it doesn't look like much; a recurve bow and several arrows with red arrowheads that glow, ever so slightly, in the dim morning light.

Archaic weapons by modern standards, but the best I could manage out here.

The wood of the bow, once polished to an almost mirror finish, is now faded. The string connecting the arms of the bow is slightly frayed but still strong.

I nock the arrow and pull the string even with my cheek. I channel a small amount of my Aura down my left arm into the arrowhead, causing the Dust to glow bright red and give off a few sparks.

Unstable, but more than I could hope for, as far as unrefined Dust goes.

I adjust my aim to compensate for the wind and let the arrow fly. It arcs through the air leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. A few seconds later it connects with the intended target, a pile of Dust and dry wood I'd collected from around the island.

The resulting explosion is so strong that I can feel the concussive forces even from my vantage point across the bay. I stare at the dust plane praying that someone notices the pillar of fire reaching into the sky and for one moment, as they continue on their present course, I feel fear grip my heart.

But suddenly they turn and a spotlight shines onto the beach, centered on the bonfire left in the wake of the explosion. A few moments later I can see them begin making preparations to land.

I set the bow down and began to make my way down to them as fast as I possibly could.

The closer I get to the shore the more I can feel the jagged edges of the rocks biting into my feet. Everything about this Island feels as though it was created to bring misery to anyone unfortunate enough to set foot on it. Even the beach, which should be made of sand, is instead covered in jagged black rocks.

But misery is a crucible and it is possible to find a blessing mixed within every curse. As it turns out, the stones that covered the beach were made of obsidian and I was able to use them to craft arrowheads. Without the steady supply of ammunition they provided I wouldn't have been able to survive this long.

As I draw near the dust plane I can see that people in grey and blue uniforms have exited and are now searching the beach.

I can see them looking at one of the defensive line I placed along the shore, a series of Grimm masks infused with small amounts of my Aura. It did a good job of repelling the Grimm but it was double edged sword. It kept most Grimm from coming onto the Island… but it also prevented the Grimm already here from leaving.

Over the years I had done my best to exterminate them, but a place like this, so steeped in negative feelings, draws them like flies to honey and my perimeter can only do so much.

One of them notices me as I walk towards them. With a shout to his friends they all turn towards me, raising their guns as they did so. I blinked at that. Soldier's maybe? They all had matching uniforms and clearly had some kind of training if they were this coordinated.

I fall to my knees ignoring the rocks digging into me, half to try and appear non-threatening and half because I honestly don't think I can remain standing for much longer.

The sheer relief at seeing other people, at having a way _off_ this island after so long was nearly overwhelming.

They approach me with their guns still raised and I feel like their being overly cautious, but it's not like I can blame them. I can't imagine that I look like someone you would want to find on a supposedly deserted island.

The leader of the group approaches and starts asking questions. Or at least I think he's their leader. His uniform has the same color scheme as the others but his armor is bulkier and his helmet has a different design.

My voice is raw, the words rough around the edges after having not been in use for so long. But I get my story across all the same. It only takes a few moments to convince him of who I am and what had happened to maroon me on the island.

He returns into the dust plane to report to his superior and comes out a minute later ordering his men to stand down, saying that they had been ordered to return to base with me.

The rest was history. They followed me back to the cave I had been taking shelter in (even after five years I refused to think of it as 'home') and I collected what few possessions I didn't want to leave behind.

After that, within the hour, I had boarded the dust plane and we were on our way to their home base in Atlas, the closest of the four kingdoms. I was told that there, I would receive medical treatment if necessary and after that I would be flown to Vale to be reunited with my family.

I look out the window at the receding form of the island as it grows smaller and smaller in the distance.

Its name was Lian Yu. It's an old name, originating in Vacuo, meaning Purgatory.

A more apt name does not exist for that place in this, or any other language spoken on Remnant.

The island held many dangers. In order to live I had to become something more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon.

I am returning home, not the boy who was shipwrecked, but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city.

My name is Jaune Arc.

 **AN: If you're reading this then odds are you've probably already read '160 Feet per Second' by The Inner Hollow, but if you haven't I suggest doing so immediately. It's a really good read and it was what inspired me to write this fic.**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _The last day of my old life was actually quite normal, all things considered._

 _I got up, ate breakfast, spoke with my sisters about how their studying and training was going and then Dad made sure I was packed for our trip that he was insisting I join him for. I didn't really see any point in joining him on a business trip but I liked taking trips on our yacht so I didn't complain. I hugged the rest of my family goodbye and waved as our limo drove off._

 _A few days later I was in my room aboard our yacht the "Arc's Gambit" as we waited for a storm to blow over. It had come as a bit of a surprise, since the forecast hadn't said anything about bad weather, but it wasn't anything we weren't ready for. Or at least that's what my Dad said. I didn't know the first thing about driving a yacht but if he said there's nothing to worry about then there was nothing to worry about._

 _The last thing I remember about that day was going to sleep in my bed, listening to the sound of the rain against the roof, letting the gentle sway of the boat as the ocean rocked it back and forth lull me to sleep, feeling safe and happy._

 _I woke up to chaos. The flashes of lightning in the sky followed almost immediately by the sound of thunder so close it made my teeth rattle. Shattered windows let the rain pour into my room and all the lights were out._

 _Suddenly without warning the violent rocking of the boat came to a head and before I knew what was happening my world tilted and I was falling towards the wall. A few seconds later the ceiling was rushing up at me._

 _I'm not quite sure what happened after that. All I know is that one second I was surrounded by water and darkness and the next I was gasping for air and my Dad was pulling me onto the life raft._

 _He gripped my shoulders and shouted over the rain, "Don't worry son, everything is going to be okay."_

* * *

The city of Vale made for an impressive sight from his vantage point on board the military dust plane; the morning light almost seemed to make the city shine.

Jaune stared out over his city, the sight causing a feeling of warmth to spread throughout his chest. Warmth and anticipation. It had been five years since the last time he had been here, and he was finally ready to do something to make the heart of his city reflect the surface.

As the dust plane came in for a landing he looked down at the landing pad and smiled as his family came into view. All seven of his sisters and his mother had gathered for his return, all standing together just off to the side of the landing pad.

He was nervous about seeing them. They had talked for a few minutes over the last few days via video chat, but that had been short snippets filled with crying and disbelief that he was actually alive rather than an actual conversation.

A dull thump signaling that they had landed, moments before a voice came over the intercom stating that they were free to retrieve their bags and exit the aircraft. The commanding officer of the squad he had received transport with quickly had his troops moving

Jaune waited a moment until they had left before he gathered what few possessions he owned, all of which fit into a single duffle bag with the exception of a few more sensitive items that he kept in a separate crate locked with an antique steel combination lock. Once he had collected his things he followed the soldiers out onto the landing pad.

He didn't get very far before he was forced to drop them to catch one of his sisters who had proceeded to tackle-hug him. Trying to stay upright, however, proved to be an act of futility as the rest of his sisters soon joined the first and he found himself on the bottom of a dogpile, a gaggle of blonde headed beauties all vying for his attention.

"Are you hurt?"

"Are you hungry?"

"What was it like on a dust plane?"

"Who did you miss the most?"

"When did you cut your hair? It was way longer in the video chat…"

His response was to hug them all as hard as he could, laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes.

Calming down a bit he managed to get back to his feet and answered them by saying "One question at a time I'm not going anywhere."

Their response was to simultaneously fold their arms and raise an eyebrow. If he wasn't so happy to see them he would have found it creepy.

He rubbed the back of his head, the feel of short hair still strange after so long, and gave a sheepish grin. "Okay bad choice of words, but my point stands, one question at a time."

Before anyone could say anything else he suddenly heard a soft voice that he would recognize anywhere, laced with emotion. "Jaune?"

He turned towards the direction of the quiet voice, already knowing what he would see and opened his mouth to reply, a sense of wonder in his voice despite knowing what to expect. "Mom."

Without warning she was suddenly hugging him so hard that he couldn't raise his arms to return the gesture. After a few seconds she managed to choke out, "My beautiful boy" sounding so sad and so happy that it was all he could do not to start crying right along with her.

Settling for patting her on the back in what he hoped was a comforting manner he quietly told her, "I'm home" as the rest of his family joined in on the hug.

This was why he was back. Bringing justice to his city, following his father's wishes, those things were important to him, but _this_. His family. This was why he would become the protector his city needed, the protector it deserved.

He would save his city and protect his family and there was nothing and no one that could stop him.

Later that evening Jaune and his family were sitting at the dining table. The mile minute questions hadn't stopped all day and Jaune was doing his best to answer them, but despite the attention, or maybe because of it, he was happier than he had been in a long time.

Of course, eating his first home cooked meal in five years _may_ have had something to do with it. That was one thing he loved about his family. Even after they had gotten rich enough to afford a whole army of world class chefs, his mother still insisted on doing the cooking.

During a lull in the conversation Jaune decided to voice something he had been planning ever since he was first picked up on the Island. "I want to see the city." His statement caused a few heads to turn his way before his mother smiled and replied, "I think that's a wonderful idea. You should see the changes that have happened in the last five years. Not to mention it'll give your sisters a chance to buy you a scroll."

Jaune frowned. "Why do I need a scroll?"

He actually _did_ need one. But he had never shown any interest in technology before and he was worried that he might arouse suspicion if he didn't at least put up a token complaint.

"Now honey, I know that your… time away may have left you with the impression that technology isn't all that important, but in the wider world it does have a use." His mother smiled at him again before turning to his sister and told her told her to make sure he got a good one.

After that the conversation turned to more mundane topics. His sisters seemed determined to have him catch up on everything he had missed in one sitting. Between one bite and the next he found himself talking about everything from the weather to the latest issue of X-Ray and Vav that they insisted that he read after dinner.

He had to blink away a few tears when he found out that they had made sure to get a copy of each month's release. The comic itself didn't really have any real significance to him anymore, but the fact that they had gone out of their way for it meant the world to him.

They had never stopped believing that he would return one day.

"What was it like on the Island?"

"What?" he turned towards his sister with a look of surprise on his face. The question had caught him off guard.

"What was it like on the Island?" she repeated.

He set his fork down and thought for a moment about how to answer the question. Up till now on one had actually asked about his time there.

The Island was many things but what could he actually tell his family? In the end he settled on the one thing that was at the forefront of all his memories, the one thing that created an undertone for his entire time there.

He lifted his head to look at her and said, "Cold. It was cold."

"That's it? That doesn't sound so bad." At a look from their mother she quickly amended, "I mean it couldn't have been fun but if that was the worst thing there was…" She trailed off after a moment when she heard Jaune give a quiet huff of laughter.

At her questioning glance he decided to elaborate. "I could tell you about the hunger or the fear I felt every time I tried to sleep, but honestly the one thing that comes to mind more than any other when I think back to the Island is the cold. Cold so strong that you could never escape it."

His sister looked stricken at his explanation. "Oh… sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine. You couldn't have known." He wasn't _bothered_ by his time on the Island. Not anymore at least. It wasn't exactly a pleasant memory and never would be but the Island had made him into who and what he was now.

But it had come at a price.

The person he used to be, the little kid who liked reading comic books, who looked up to his family, and wouldn't hurt a fly was gone, killed by Lian Yu.

He looked down at his plate still half covered in food, but found that he wasn't hungry anymore.

He stood and looked his mother in the eye. "May I be excused?"

After she gave him a small nod he walked out of the dining room towards his bedroom, mentally apologizing to his sisters that he wouldn't be able to read comics with them like they were hoping.

Sighing, he hoped that the next day would go a bit better.

The next morning Jaune was in a scroll shop with three of his sisters, the rest having been called out on a high priority mission, looking at various models of scrolls and trying his hardest not to punch the salesmen that was helping them in the face.

He knew exactly what kind of scroll he needed but couldn't think of a way to ask for it without having to give an explanation about just _how_ he was so knowledgeable about scroll technology, which was something that he couldn't do. So instead of exactly what he needed it looked like he was going to have to content himself with a scroll with a bunch of add-ons that he would never use and have to go back later himself to remove them.

But when the guy tried to get him to go for the extended warranty he had to put his foot down.

Even as rich as his family was there was no way he was wasting money on that. Especially when he intended to violate the warranty within a few days leaving it null and void.

As he left the scroll shop a half hour later, sisters in tow and brand new scroll in his pocket, he almost missed the black, unmarked van pull up next to them.

Within moments his sisters were incapacitated and he watched in an almost detached way as one of the assailants pointed a stun gun at him and pulled the trigger.

He could have avoided the stun gun if he had tried. They were too far away to aim with any real accuracy, especially if he moved fast enough. But he was out in the open. Exposed. He couldn't act here. Trying to look shocked he turned towards the attackers and half-raised his arms before a jolt of electricity shot through his body, darkness following soon after.

* * *

 _I don't know how long the two of us had been drifting aimlessly across the ocean. It must have been at least a week, but it was hard to tell. The days tended to blur together without a way to keep track of the time, but I knew it had to have been for at least that long because we were running low on food and water._

 _One day I woke up to the sight of my Dad sitting next to me, going through our meager supply of food and shaking his head. He turned towards me and when he saw me watching him his eyes grew soft for a moment before this look came over him._

 _He put his arm around my shoulders and smiled down at me. "How you holding up kiddo?"_

 _I gave him a half-hearted smile in response. I didn't feel up to forming a proper response._

 _He turned away from and scanned the horizon for a few moments before facing me again. "I'm so sorry; I thought I'd have more time." His voice was… strange. It sounded full of regret and if I didn't know better I would say he was trying to stop himself from crying. "This is all my fault. I'm not the man you think I am. I didn't build our city, I failed it… and I wasn't the only one._

 _He reached into his coat pocket and pressed a small leather-bound book into my hands, before he reached up and caressed the side of my face with his hand. As he brushed a small patch of dirt off my cheek he started talking again. "You have to survive. Make it home. Right my wrongs."_

 _He gave me a one armed hug before moving to the other side of the life raft and turned back to face me… with a gun in his hands. "Dad, what are you doing-?"_

" _Survive." And with that he raised the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger._

* * *

When Jaune came to the first thing he noticed was the smell. Dust and some kind of vegetable unless his nose was mistaken. Cracking open his eyes he was treated to the sight of the inside of a burlap sack, indistinguishable lights and shadows were just barely visible on the other side of the bag.

The second thing he noticed was that he was strapped to a chair his hands tied behind his back.

No. Not tied. Strapped with zip cuffs. These guys were professionals. Most people would just use some rope and be done with it, but zip cuffs were both easier to use and harder to break out from.

For normal people anyway. They wouldn't slow him down in the slightest.

Now if he could just make sure his sisters weren't around he'd be able to escape without any trouble-

"Mister Arc. Oh Mister Arc!"

Suddenly the burlap sack was gone, ripped off his head so fast he became disoriented and Jaune needed a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light. The moment he could see he felt the urge to put the burlap sack back over his head.

His kidnappers had chosen to wear matching black hoodies and red masks designed to look like demons. They were all roughly the same size and were all armed. Between the three of them they had both exits covered and were able to keep his sisters under guard off to the side of the room.

Professionals indeed.

The one standing closest to him raised a stun in front of him and pulled the trigger causing electricity to arc back and forth between the electrodes.

"Did your father survive that accident?"

Well wasn't this interesting? Jaune had expected something like this to happen sooner or later but he hadn't been expecting them quite so soon.

But it wasn't like he wasn't prepared for this situation.

When it didn't seem like he was going to answer the kidnapper tried to get his attention again. "I ask the questions. You give the answers. Did your father survive the accident?"

Jaune just stared at him. He could use his aura to break out of his restraints but that would give the game away too soon. And there was always the chance that one of these guys had some training as a huntsman and would be able to tell if he was using his Aura so he couldn't risk it.

But there were other ways of escaping.

When he remained silent the kidnapper holding the stun gun turned to his partners and shrugged. Then without warning he turned around and jammed the stun gun into his gut and pulled the trigger.

It wasn't an especially good stun gun, unlike the ones they had used to knock them unconscious in the first place but it still packed a punch and forced Jaune to scream against his will.

Unbeknownst to the kidnappers however Jaune had tensed his muscles at the last second and when the stun gun had forced his muscles to contract the zip cuffs binding his hands together had snapped, his scream covering up the sound.

"Now let's try this again." Leaning down to look him in the eye the kidnapper sneered at him. "Did he make it to the Island? Did he tell you anything?"

Jaune glanced over at his sisters to make sure there were still unconscious. Taking this as a sign of his continued refusal to talk the kidnapper jammed the stun gun into another random point on his body and pulled the trigger, eliciting a second involuntary scream from their captive.

Taking a few deep breaths Jaune ground out "Yes he did." He had to fight a smile when the others took a few steps closer just as he had been hoping.

The one in front of him got his attention again and sounded almost pleased. "And what did he tell you Mister Arc?"

Meeting his eyes for the first time since this 'conversation' had started, in an even voice Jaune replied, "He told me I'm gonna kill you."

And to his delight, they started laughing, letting their guard down even further. "You're delusional. You're zip cuffed to that chair."

Without breaking eye contact Jaune casually removed his hands from behind the chair and said, "Not anymore."

Their eyes barely had time to widen before Jaune, in one smooth motion, stood and took the chair from behind him, smashing it over the first of his kidnappers. Crying out in alarm the second tried to use the stun gun on him but Jaune dodged to one side and grabbed his arm, forcing the stun gun into his attacker's throat.

The last one, finally recovered from his surprise, brought his gun to bear on Jaune only to have his partner, still trapped in Jaunes arms, be used as a human shield absorbing the bullets.

Seeing how easily his two partners had been dealt with the last of the kidnappers decided discretion was the better part of valor and ran from the room as fast as he could.

Pausing only to check on his sisters, Jaune insured they were all breathing and ran after him.

As he chased after him, the final kidnapper turned around and started firing at him forcing him to slow down and dodge but losing ground in the process. As Jaune rolled behind an air duct opening his mind was already cataloguing the type of weapon being used against him.

It was a high end military model, the kind that couldn't be acquired through legal means. Only the best went out of their way to get them because in addition to being illegal for civilians to own, they were also untraceable, which made their price skyrocket.

Whoever had paid for this kidnapping had been willing to pay top dollar. Or at least they had been willing to pay for the best non-huntsman trained kidnappers out there.

Glancing over his shoulder and seeing that Jaune was gaining on him the kidnapper tore his mask off, revealing a pair of small horns on top of his head, and ducked into the nearest building.

Jaune dove through a window in pursuit and rolled onto a scaffolding one level above his target. Seeing that he was being cut off the kidnapper raised his gone and started firing almost point blank at Jaune.

Jaune vaulted over the opposite side of the scaffolding and used it as a shield until he heard the kidnapper's gun run out of ammo. Not wasting a second he shot around the side into the open and reached his target moments before he could reload. Ramming his elbow into the Faunus's gut he forced him to double over before kneeing him in the face which caused his head to snap back giving Jaune the opening he needed to wrap his arms in a choke hold around his neck.

As he held the Faunus he felt remorse, and anger at the ones who had sent them after him. These men shouldn't have had to die.

But no one could know his secret.

With one sharp twist he snapped the neck of his assailant and felt the body go limp in his hands.

Less than an hour later he was giving a statement to a _very_ confused Detective. "So let me get this straight… A man wearing a green hood, with a bow and arrow, came out of nowhere, killed three armed kidnappers, and then freed you and your sisters?"

Jaune smiled at him from across the desk and simply said, "Yes."

"Well, who is he? What did he want?"

Jaune just shrugged, "I don't know. Catch him and you can ask him yourself."

The Detective, who Jaune discovered was named Quentin Lance after he finally, got a good look at his badge, sounded skeptical. "You do get that this sounds crazy right?"

Jaune smile grew as the look of frustration grew on the Detective's face. "Believe what you want to. I'm just telling you what I saw."

"Look kid, I don't care who you are, if you're lying you _will_ be charged with obstruction of justice, _as a start_ and then-"

"Thank you Detective," his mother interrupted in an icy tone, "but if you're finished taking my sons statement then I believe were done here." She gestured to the rest of her family, "Unless you have any other questions?"

Detective Lance locked eyes with his mother for a moment before turning to his sisters. "All three of you were unconscious?"

After they all nodded he sighed and said, "You're all free to go, but remember, we may need to contact you for further questioning, so don't make any travel plans."

As they left the Police station couldn't help but think back to the kidnapping and, more importantly, what he had left out of his report to the police.

They had wanted to know about his father, about whether or not he had told him anything.

They wanted to know if he knew about the List.

It was sooner than he would have liked but the abduction had forced him to move up his plans.

He paused just before he reached the limo and turned back to face his family.

"Jaune what is it?" His mother sounded concerned and his sisters were looking at him curiously.

He gave them the most convincing smile he could muster and told them, "I want to go to Beacon."

* * *

 _Drifting on the ocean was never fun, but with the image of my Dad taking his own life burned into my mind, it became hell. His body had fallen over the edge into the ocean after he had pulled the trigger and I had been too shocked to even move. I'm not sure how long I just sat there, but when I finally forced myself to the opposite side of the raft to look over the edge his body wasn't in sight._

 _For days I just laid there, with one arm hanging off the side, just over the water, next to the last place I had seen my Dad. Eventually I forced myself to eat and drink from the meager supplies that were left. I almost didn't want to but the last word my Dad said kept me going._

 _Survive._

 _I didn't understand what he had been talking about before, about how he had failed our city… but I did understand that he wanted me to live, that he had given his life so that I would have a chance to survive, and I wasn't going to let him down._

 _Three days after I had run out of food, and one day after I had run out of fresh water I saw it, in the distance. Black jagged cliffs reaching into the sky, shrouded in fog, growing larger and larger as the current brought me closer._

 **AN: You may have noticed that I was rather vague about Jaunes family in this chapter and that was deliberate. I don't want to design a bunch of characters that would essentially be OC's when, sooner or later, we'll have canon descriptions and names for them.**


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Something I forgot to mention last chapter, I'm going to be slow rolling these first few chapters because I want to see what happens in volume 3 so I can better plan for the middle to end chapters, so don't expect fast updates for the next few months.**

 **And I've had a couple people mention my descriptions for Jaune's family or rather the lack thereof. The reason I'm not going into detail with them is because, after the first few chapters, I'm going to treat them like their treated on RWBY: mentioned but not shown. Unless they have something crazy happen in volume 3 involving them they won't play a significant role in this story.**

 **That being said when we do get descriptions of them I'm going to re-upload these early chapters with their names and descriptions.**

Chapter 2

 _After the life raft drifted ashore I forced my weary limbs into motion. I didn't want to move. I was tired, hungry and thirsty and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep. But I couldn't do that. If I didn't get myself, and almost as importantly the raft, further up the beach than there was a very real risk that it would drift back out to sea. And even though it was bad right now a few more days without anything to eat or drink would finish me off. As dangerous as this place looked my only hope was to go further inland and hope to find food and water._

 _As I began to drag the raft closer to the tree line I felt something dig into the heel of my shoe. Moving my foot aside I saw an almost pure black stone, identical to the many other embedded in the sand along the beach. I reached down to pick it up and get a better look at it only to quickly draw my hand away from it with a hiss. I looked down at my finger and saw a pinprick of blood. It was sharper than I expected. After sucking my finger for a few seconds to stop the bleeding I went back to dragging the raft, although now I was much more careful than before._

 _By the time I got it to the tree line my arms were shaking from the effort and my eyes were swimming. After resting for a moment I forced myself to stand on my somewhat shaky legs and turned towards the mist shrouded forest. I was scared but I had to move. Staying in one place was a death sentence. I was outside the kingdom. That meant I couldn't stay in one place for very long or else the Creatures of Grimm would find me. And if they didn't than thirst and hunger would finish me off for them. No matter how I looked at it I had to get moving._

 _I sighed and, forcing my fear to the back of my mind, I took my first tentative steps into the dark underbrush of the forest._

* * *

Jaune's family had been upset at his plans but that was expected. They had only just got him back from the dead and now they had learned that he was already planning on leaving them again. Truthfully he didn't _want_ to leave them, hadn't been planning on it for a few years at least, but circumstances beyond his control had forced his hand.

Well most of his family was upset, anyways. Two of his sisters had actually been excited at the prospect. Mainly because they had graduated and become full-fledged huntresses several years ago and would be able to help him train.

Why someone like him would need training at all, one might ask. The answer was simple. He had chosen Crocea Mors, his great-great-grandfathers sword and shield, as his weapon of choice and he was unskilled enough in that style of fighting that he would need to be taught. As much as his hands ached for the familiar weight of a bow he couldn't risk anyone, much less his family, making the connection between him and the other part of his life. Better that he start from scratch with an unfamiliar weapon than risk his family discovering his secret. Besides, he was already a deadly combatant with a number a weapons. It couldn't hurt to add one more to that list.

After all, going to Beacon was just the start, a necessary move to help cover his actions and a way to prepare for the future. Once the people responsible for all of the suffering and hardship in Vale were dealt with he wanted a way to use his talents for good. And what better way to help his city than by becoming a Huntsman?

But now he had a different problem. He had wanted to wait a year or so before he started but the kidnapping had forced him to move up his plans. Now he only had a few months before the entrance exams for Beacon took place and a few weeks after that before the school year began in earnest. That wasn't a lot of time and he had a lot of work to do before then.

First and foremost he needed a place to set up shop. A place where he could set up computers, store his weapons and armor, a place where he could train without anyone seeing him. And most importantly he needed a place that he could either be seen going to on a regular basis without arousing suspicion, or a place where he wouldn't be recognized.

Tall order, considering his miraculous survival was still being talked about in the news. And to make matters worse he was on a strict time limit. If the man in the hood didn't start showing up soon than the story he had given to the police would quickly fall apart.

He was missing almost everything he needed for his crusade to be effective. Weapons, money, computers, and more. The money wouldn't be that hard to get. Between the favors he was owed in Vales criminal underground and some creative accounting at Vale's less scrupulous businesses he would soon have all the money he needed. He couldn't use any of his own family's wealth because he didn't want there to be a paper trail that lead anywhere near them. He simply wasn't willing to put them at risk.

But even if he did get ahold of the money it wouldn't do him any good without a place to store any of the things he needed to buy. Without that, all of his plans would amount to nothing.

This is how he found himself wandering around Vale's commercial district at two in the afternoon trying to find a suitable location. He would have preferred coming during the night since his face was still far too recognizable, but ever since the kidnapping his family had him on lockdown. Meaning that no matter where he went or the time of day he always had at least one of his Huntress trained siblings close by. Which wasn't so bad at first. Honestly he even found there dedication to his wellbeing a little cute, considering that he was more than capable of defeating any of them in a fight.

Granted they didn't know that but still.

Fortunately it wasn't too hard to scout out possible locations with them in tow. Especially since they were bound and determined to show him every single store that had opened up since the shipwreck that they thought he might like. All of which were located in Vale's commercial district.

The commercial district was his best choice because of its close proximity to both his own home, and Beacon. Not to mention that it was also home to most of the names on his fathers List. He had begun researching almost as soon as he had been rescued and had soon discovered a common element among them. They were all rich business oriented people who were extremely skilled in two things: making money at the expense of others, and covering their tracks.

More than ever he was convinced that his city _needed_ someone like him to start dispensing justice to those who deserved it.

But none of that would matter if he couldn't actually start his crusade.

He had a fake smile on his face as his sisters pulled him from the latest stop on their tour, trying to hide his growing frustration, only for it to turn into a real smile as his eyes landed on a store a few blocks away. He recognized that store. Or rather, he recognized the name plastered on the front of his store.

Tukson's Book Trade.

'So, he ended up in Vale after all' Jaune thought with a smile.

His sisters had turned towards him when he stopped following them and his eldest sister raised her eyebrow questioningly. He pointed down the street and said "I want to visit there."

His sisters took one look at where he was pointing before one of them let out a groan. "But books are so _boring_. Why would you want to go there?" she whined.

She was silenced a moment later when his other sister swatted the back of her head. "It doesn't matter, where here for Jaune and if that's where he wants to go that's where were going."

Ignoring the pout on her face she turned to Jaune and gestured for him to lead the way. "After you."

A few minutes later Jaune walked through the entrance of the bookshop and was treated to the sight of Tukson with his arms spread out, a welcoming smile on his face. "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!"

The moment his eyes met Jaune's the smile fell off his face, to be replaced with a look of shock. He quickly smoothed out his features and asked if there was anything they were looking for in particular only for Jaune to answer that they were just browsing. Thankfully Jaune's sisters didn't seem to notice his reaction and were already browsing through a few different aisles of books, one noticeably more bored than the other.

Unfortunately the store was too small for a private conversation unless they kept their voices down so Jaune couldn't immediately go up and start talking to him. Instead he went down one of the aisles and started browsing the fiction section of the store.

Jaune wasn't really paying attention to what he was pretending to read, some drivel that had made the best sellers list if the cover was to be believed. After the third time he heard his sister yawn he decided he had waited long enough and called out that he was ready to go.

As he headed for the cashier, his sister suddenly appeared in front of him and without warning she shoved a book under his nose and excitedly said "You've gotta read this one to. It's one of the best books to come out in the last few years."

Taking a moment to step back so he wasn't cross-eyed, Jaune read the title of the book and then had to read it again when he was certain that he'd misread it the first time.

Ninja's of Love?

He frowned at his sister only to see a wide grin on her face. "You've literally been on a deserted island for years. Trust me on this; you need to read this book."

Normally Jaune was inclined to trust his family but the look on her face as she talked about the novel left him feeling decidedly… nervous.

Ultimately it was irrelevant because he wasn't actually planning on reading any of the books he had picked out. Unless he got extraordinarily lucky he wouldn't have time for reading of any sort in the near future. The books he had picked out were just an excuse to get face to face with Tukson without arousing any suspicion from his family.

With a shrug he added it to the stack of books he had already picked out, several generic fantasy books that teenagers usually loved reading, and made his way to the counter where Tukson was still watching him out of the corner of his eye.

Once Jaune got up to the register and placed his purchases on the counter, Tukson turned towards him, a smile plastered on his face. "Did you find everything you're looking for?"

Jaune nodded in response. "Mostly."

Smiling politely, Tukson scanned the rest of the books before replying. "Good. I hope you'll become a regular in the future."

"Oh, don't worry. I kinda like this place. I'll definitely be coming back. Soon." Jaune didn't break eye-contact with Tukson as he was handed his purchase, hoping that the bookstore owner would understand his meaning.

To his relief he saw the Faunus give a slight nod. "I'll be looking forward to your next visit then. I'm always happy to meet new customers."

As Jaune left the store he had to hold in a grin. True he hadn't found a suitable base of operations yet, but the trip into the city hadn't been for nothing.

Later that night after everyone else had fallen asleep Jaune snuck out of his house. Considering that they had top of the line security it was actually rather easy to sneak out. A few wires crossed in the right place to cut off the alarm and a few seconds to disable the beck up secondary alarm, and Jaune was out the door.

As he made his way to Tukson's store he made a mental note to upgrade his family's security system. It may have been one of the best, if not the very best, on the market but that was only as far as civilian security went. Jaune had been able to get around far more complex security systems for years, and if he could then there were bound to be others who could as well.

After almost an hour, Tukson's Book Trade finally came into view, and Jaune gave out a quiet sigh of relief. In addition to better security he also noted that he needed to get a driver's license ASAP. He already knew how to drive a number of vehicles but without official documentation he wouldn't be able to own one or drive anywhere in the four kingdoms.

In the dark hoodie and jeans that he had chosen he was almost invisible so long as he stuck to the shadows. He felt naked without any weapons but he couldn't risk starting anything. Not tonight anyway.

Besides, even without his weapons he was far from defenseless. And it wasn't like he was expecting anything to happen anyway.

Ignoring the front entrance, he went into the alley next to Tukson's store, and a few seconds later had the lock to the side entrance picked and was inside the shop.

He quietly made his way to the back of the store where a light was shining through a half opened door. Just as Jaune reached it and began to push it open, a hand suddenly reached out and pulled him inside, throwing him off balance in the process. Reacting on instinct Jaune threw himself to the side, dodging the follow up swing, and turned to face his assailant.

The fight was fast and brutal; his opponent striking with fast kicks and slashing with razor sharp claws, but after a few seconds of dodging Jaune saw an opening, and with a well-timed sweep of his leg he had the attacker on the ground and in arm lock.

A moment later the figure Jaune held in an arm lock started laughing. "Damn, looks like I still can't get the drop on you."

"And you'll never be able to." Jaune let him stand, a smile on his face. The moment he was back on his feet, Tukson pulled him into a bear hug that lifted his feet off the ground.

Jaune patted his back as best he could with his arms pinned to his side. "I'm happy to see you too Tukson."

A few seconds later Tukson set him back on the ground and smiled at his young friend. "Not nearly as happy as I am to see you. After what happened in Atlas I thought you were dead. When you walked through the front door of my shop I almost had a heart attack."

Sounding skeptical Jaune asked, "Don't you watch the news? I've been back in town for over a week."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't watched the news in years." Tukson clapped his hands together and proclaimed with a grin, "This calls for a celebration!"

He leaned down behind his desk and started rummaging around. Standing back up Tukson revealed a bottle of dark amber liquid and a couple of glasses. "I've been saving this for a special occasion, and a friend coming back from the dead seems like a pretty damn good one."

When Tukson offered him a glass he waved him off with a smile. "Still underage."

Tukson blinked in surprise for a moment before chuckling. "Sorry, sometimes I forget how young you are."

He leaned back behind the desk and reappeared a moment later with a can of Mountain Dew.

Jaune accepted it with a nostalgic look on his face. "I haven't had one of these in ages."

"Really? You couldn't get enough of it the last time I saw you."

Jaune shrugged in response. "People change."

Catching up with Tukson after so long was strangely cathartic. It had been almost three years since the last time Jaune had seen the Faunus and a lot had changed for his old friend.

Popping the top on his drink, Jaune took a sip before asking, "So, what have you been up to lately?"

Taking a sip of his own drink Tukson replied, "I've been in Vale for two years now, and I've been the proud owner of Tukson's Book Trade, for just over a year."

Tukson grimaced a little before replying. "Well to be honest this place is just a front. I've been working with the White Fang almost since I arrived in Vale. They were actually the ones that helped me get out of Atlas."

Jaune picked up immediately on the older man's discomfort. "Do you disagree with the White Fang's recent… activities?"

Tukson grunted in response. "When they first helped me get set up here they planned to use this place as a cover to help faunus illegally emigrate into Vale from various locations across Remnant where they were being mistreated or oppressed. And for a while that's all that happened. They would be directed here and I'd set them up with false identification and then the White Fang would help them disappear."

Tukson paused for a moment to down his drink before refilling his glass. "But now they've got me creating identities for mercenaries. Ex-Huntsmen and wanted criminals from around the world. The things they've done in the last few months alone…"

Jaune looked at Tukson, really looked at him for the first time that day and was shocked at what he saw. There were dark bags under his eyes, and worry lines were starting to form at the corners of his eyes. He looked old. Far older than the last time Jaune had seen him.

"I've been slowly gathering Intel on some of their more horrific activates and when I have enough I'm planning on fleeing to Vacuo." Tukson took the opportunity to down his drink again before reaching for the bottle to refill his glass. "You're the first person I've told that too." He sighed before continuing. "I never thought I'd say this, especially after everything they've done for me, but I can't turn a blind eye anymore. What they're doing… I can't be a part of it. Not again."

Jaune took a step closer to Tukson and said, in a tone that left no room for argument, "Get rid of everything you've collected so far."

A surprised look crossed Tukson's face, before quickly changing to confusion. "Why would I do that? I need that info to make sure they don't come after me when I leave Vale."

Because they already know what you've got planned. With how careful they've been with information leaks in the last few years, theirs no way they don't know." Jaune paused a moment to think before continuing. "In fact, if I were a betting man, I'd guess that they already have plans to get rid of you if you step out of line."

Tukson sunk down into a nearby chair and placed his head in his hands. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Don't run away. Stay, and help me."

Tukson looked up at Jaune, a despondent look on his face. "What are talking about?"

"After what happened in Atlas… for months I wanted to die. It was hell and death would have been welcome. But as much as I wanted to, as many times as I thought about it I refused to give in, for one simple reason." Jaune took a few steps towards the window and looked out over the darkened street. "This city. My home. I made a promise to my father that I would return and save it."

He turned back towards Tukson. "And now I'm back. After five years I'm finally back. And now that I am, I'm going to keep my promise to my father. But to do that I'm going to need all the help I can get."

He stepped in front of Tukson and held out his hand. "So what do you say?"

Tukson stared at the offered hand before grinning. He stood and clasped the younger man's hand. "I'm in. Someone has to keep you out of trouble."

Jaune returned the grin before letting go and reaching for his drink which had been left almost untouched. "Now as my newly appointed sidekick-"

"Dream on."

"-I don't suppose you have any secure facilities just lying around that I could take off your hands?" Jaune was half joking but he _was_ getting a little desperate at this point.

Tukson frowned. "What do you mean?"

Feeling a little uncomfortable about his predicament, Jaune still explained the situation. "I need someplace to set up shop. I can't very well bring justice to the people responsible for what's happening in Vale, the White Fang included, from my own home now can I? I'm not going to put my family at risk like that."

To his surprise, Tukson actually smiled. "I might be able to help you with that."

A few minutes later and Jaune was in the passenger seat of Tukson's car, a dark green SUV with tinted windows that had seen better days. After about ten minutes of driving Jaune realized where they were going. He turned towards Tukson and asked "Were going to the docks?"

Tukson nodded in response. "Yep. Got something that you need to see."

One of the things that allowed Vale such prosperous import-export revenue was the channel that flowed through the center of the city. Docks and Warehouses lined the river on either side allowing for quick access and the easy offloading and distribution of goods from Remnants three other kingdoms.

Tukson drove down a side street dotted with rundown warehouses, on the very edge of the docks, just bordering the city proper. After a few minutes he parked next to a particularly shoddy looking building, with broken windows and walls lined with rust.

Going through the warehouse Jaune was led to an unassuming staircase which led down to a sturdy looking door. Without preamble Tukson unlocked it and led the way inside, flipping a light switch as he did so. "This place used to be where I stored any merchandise that was acquired by… less than honest means before the White Fang set me up at my store. Been trying to offload it ever since. Just say the word and it's yours."

Jaune looked around at the cavernous space. It was clearly in need of some serious renovations. Puddles littered the floor, formed from the various leaking pipes dotting the walls and ceiling. Electrical wires were frayed and hanging loosely from the walls, some dangerously close to the water. But it was out of the way, hidden, and had close access to Vale's waterways on the off chance a rapid retreat became necessary.

True the docks wouldn't have been his first choice, but it bordered the commercial district and was a stone's throw away from Beacon.

Jaune smiled. Although it clearly needed some work, this place was perfect. Or at least it would be once he had it up to his standards.

* * *

 _I'm reall_ _y regretting not taking that survival course with my sisters right now. I had done my best to avoid it because I didn't want to become a Huntsman or anything even remotely similar. How so many of my sisters were drawn into that life was beyond me._

 _We were rich. Why bother risking our necks?_

 _But that didn't change the fact that I didn't really know what I was looking for. I wasn't expecting a five course meal to just appear but there should be something, right? Wild vegetables or berries, or something! Knowing my luck I was probably walking past a bunch of different plants that were edible and not even realizing it._

 _I ended up deciding to worry about food later, despite the gnawing feeling in my stomach. Water was the first priority. I couldn't recall where exactly, but I remembered reading somewhere that the average person could survive weeks without food but only a few days without water._

 _I forced myself to put one foot in front of another as I slowly made my way up to the top of a hill. As I made it to the top I grinned for the first time in what felt like years. For the first time since our yacht had gone down I seemed to have run into a bit of luck. A lake was close by. A limitless source of fresh water was at my fingertips._

 _And past the lake was more trees followed by-_

 _I blinked once in confusion. I turned back the way I had come certain that I must have gotten turned around somehow, but there it was. The beach I had first arrived on, stark white against a backdrop of green and blue, the forest on one side, and the ocean on the other._

 _I felt my breath catch in my throat._

 _Through the trees off to one side I spotted an almost vertical cliff face and sprinted towards it, my hunger and weakness forgotten. Almost frantic I began climbing the sheer wall of stone as fast as I could the moment I reached it. More than once I slipped and almost fell, but I climbed upwards regardless of the danger._

 _It felt like hours later but I finally managed to reach the top, somehow not falling to my death in the process. From my new vantage point I had a clear view of everything around me and could see well into the distance. I could clearly see the lake I had spotted earlier, the trees beyond it… and beyond that the ocean, reaching all the way to the horizon._

 _I slowly turned in a circle just to be absolutely certain, but there was no denying what my eyes were telling me._

 _I had drifted ashore onto an island._

 _I felt fear grip my heart. I was cut off from the rest of the world. There were thousands of Islands dotting the ocean, and with the Grimm being an ever present threat to humanity there was no way to search, or even find all of them._

 _There would be no rescue from this place._

 _I was stuck here._


End file.
